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| 1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
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Set me upon – Fix my foot upon. (Douay Version) R621:1
Will watch – Studying his Word. R1475:5
To see – Not to guess at it, or to surmise about it, but to see it, so plainly that he can clearly, logically, and Scripturally demonstrate it to others. R1475:5
What he will say – We can know only what God has revealed in the Bible as his revelation. R769:1
Let us balance our judgments by the testimony of God's Word. R770:6
What I shall answer – To the unbeliever. R621:1
When I am reproved – When the unbeliever reproves me. R621:1
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| 2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. |
Answered – Gave me an answer for the unbeliever. R621:1
Me – The faithful watcher. R1475:5
Write the vision – God's plan of the ages, the vision seen by Habakkuk. R5374:1
What you have seen of divine truth. R1475:5
Concerning the glorious consummation of God's plan. B15
This command has been obeyed--by charts, diagrams, concordances and explanations. R621:1
Make it plain – Set it out in an orderly, systematic manner. R1475:5
Some are called to make the truth plain for the benefit of all the rest. R1475:5
It becomes the privilege of the faithful watcher to make plain to others what the Lord has made plain to him. R1475:5
Do not attempt to make it plain to others until you understand it yourself. R1475:5
Upon tables – Charts. C89
That he may run – For the prize. R1475:5
Run over it; be able to prove to himself its correctness. R621:1
That readeth it – Read it readily. C89
Read it clearly. B15
That everyone may read it fluently. (Leeser) R5374:1
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| 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not be late. |
The vision – God's plan of the ages. R5374:1
The testimony of the Scripture. R621:4
A great revelation--a picture of God's plan through the prophets and the Law. Q729:5; R5731:5
For an appointed time – Is to be made clear at the appointed time. R5374:3
Time features are not as definitely stated in the Scriptures as are doctrinal features. R5374:3
Much of which was previously purposely hidden and obscurely expressed. R1475:5
It shall speak – Appear at the end. (Douay) R621:1
It will make itself heard and will not lie. R5374:2
Though it tarry – Its fulfilment would seem to tarry. R5731:6[R5731], R5374:1[R5374]
If it appear to make any delay. R621:1[R621]
"Where is the promise of his coming (presence)? for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning." (2Pet. 3:4) R621:1[R621]
Wait for it – If, in the Lord's providence, the time should come 25 years later, then that would be our will. R5374:3[R5374]
The year 1915 is now more than half gone, and I think it is very doubtful whether we shall see all we had expected in this year. It looks as though we were trying to hasten the fulfilment of the vision. Q730:1
In their haste, some supposed that all things concerning the Day of the Lord were to transpire immediately, but instead the trouble comes like spasms. R621:2[R621]
Let none of the consecrated be in haste to rush into print with crude, undefined ideas, and thus become stumbling blocks in the way of many others. R1475:6[R1475]
"Oh, the blessedness of him that waiteth unto the 1335 days." (Dan. 12:12) C89
It will surely come – All the blessed things are positively certain to come. Q730:2
It will not tarry – It does not really tarry. It is a matter of God's time and our understanding of it. R5731:6; Q730:2
Its seeming tarrying was not so, but a partial mistake on the part of William Miller, foreknown and permitted by the Lord for the testing of his "holy people." C89[C89]
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| 4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. |
Behold, his soul – The understanding, or mind, of the unbeliever. R621:1
Is not upright in him – He is not right at heart. R621:1
By his faith – In his faith--not slow to believe all that God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets. R621:1
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| 5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as Sheol, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people: |
Yea also – Another version of the first 16 words: "As wine deceiveth him that drinketh it, so shall the proud man be deceived and he shall not be honored." The time has come when those who have no limit to their greed are not honored, but the reverse. R621:3
Because he – The Papacy, or a modern ambitious nation. E374[E374]
His desire as hell – His ambitions as sheol, oblivion, the grave, never full. E374; R2599:6
Cannot be satisfied – Their covetousness is like death in that it never has enough; its capacity cannot be satisfied. E375
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| 6 Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! |
A parable against him – Questioning not only the rights of kings, but how and why one man is supposed to be born with the right to command and rule another; why millionaires roll in wealth while others, their intellectual, moral and physical equals, barely have life's necessities. R621:3
A taunting proverb – A dark speech. R621:4
Woe to him – "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries which shall come upon you." (Jas. 5:1) R621:4
That which is not his – Since money is the equivalent of service, and the wealthy have never rendered extraordinary service, the conclusion is that they accumulated their wealth dishonestly, without giving an equivalent service to the world for it. R621:3
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| 7 Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them? |
Vex thee – Tear thee. R621:4
For booties – For a spoil. R621:4
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| 8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. |
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| 9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil! |
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| 10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. |
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| 11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. |
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| 12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity! |
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| 13 Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? |
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| 14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. |
For the earth – During the Millennial age. B99; R1015:4; OV192:3
After the gathering of the elect. R4557:3
Shall be filled – The curse shall be rolled away, and all darkness shall be dissipated by light and blessing. R5338:2; OV384:1
The wonderful inventions of our day, the printing press and the mail, are potent factors in knowledge filling the earth. R5363:6, R1155:3
But this knowledge is coming to a people who at heart are unprepared for it. The hands of the ignorant and unlearned are stretched forth to grasp the throttle of power--political, social, religious and financial. R5363:6
Showing that great enlightening and educational influences will be set to work. R1248:2
Breaking the shackles of ignorance and superstition. OV384:1
As with the Gospel Church, a gradual matter--line upon line, precept upon precept. F709
It will be in and through the glorified salt of the earth that the blessing will come, the streams of truth for human refreshment, for a thousand years. R5780:2, R4990:3, R4957:1, R1043:2*; OV192:3
Accomplished by the Kingdom of Light, operating through earthly agencies, in harmony with its principles of righteousness and truth. OV45:2
"As truly as I live, the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah." (Num. 14:21) D656
As a result, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to the glory of God. (Phil. 2:10, 11) SM130:2; R5427:3
"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped." (Isa. 35:6) OV382:T; HG651:5
Jesus has not yet been the Light of the World, but merely a light to his people. R5352:5, R5338:5
All will then understand the promises now being grasped by the "Little Flock." Then "the mystery" shall have ended. A86, A87
With the knowledge – Knowledge of the Lord will be the drawing power in the Millennium, even as now. D195
The Millennial age will furnish full knowledge and full ability to all. R892:4, R4158:6; HG417:4
All will know and appreciate the privileges then possible to them. R5178:4; OV382:1
All the eyes of understanding will be opened. R5762:1
The Lord will turn unto his people the pure message, that they may all call upon his name and serve him. (Zeph. 3:9) R5823:3
Men will become not only perfect, having all that Adam had, but will have additional knowledge and character. R4965:1
"And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me." (Jer. 31:34) R6013:5, R1365:5
The clear knowledge of God's goodness. SM174:2
The Church of Christ gets this knowledge beforehand. OV424:1
The gathering of the world will be the result of knowledge. R5530:6
Some will resist this knowledge. After 100 years they will be destroyed. R5530:6; SM16:1
The glory of the LORD – God's law of love and life, which men will fully know and keep. R1213:5*
No longer will the divine character be aspersed with slanderous teachings, making him out viler than any of his creatures. HG685:1
Our temporary blindness will but accentuate the glorious brightness of God's wisdom, justice, love and power. R5210:5; OV351:1; SM472:T
Cover the sea – Ocean-deep. R5823:6
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| 15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! |
His neighbour drink – The condemnation would apply equally to those who tempt others to the use of intoxicating drinks and to those who endeavor to lead others to imbibe of the intoxicating wine of the spirit of the world. R1444:5
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| 16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD'S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory. |
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| 17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein. |
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| 18 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols? |
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| 19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. |
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| 20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. |
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